Summary: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. Summary and image from goodreads.com.
Review: Oh, young love! The agony, the ecstasy, the inevitable heartache. It’s one thing to read about it, but it’s entirely another to experience it. For Madeline, stuck in her allergen-safe room, she has resigned herself to only know of young love through her precious books. When a family moves next door with a gorgeous, mysterious, perfectly-suited-to-a-YA-romance teenager, Madeline knows her life has forever changed.
The movie is coming out soon, which is why I wanted to read the book, and it’s cute. It’s an easy read, perfect for a vacation or a rainy day, it follows the typical YA romance fairly closely. If you liked The Fault in our Stars, I’m guessing you’ll enjoy this novel as well.
There are a few detractors that irked me. First, there is absolutely no conflict between the two young lovers. While I know that teens are prone to the “Romeo and Juliet complex”, zero conflict felt too faked. I mean, even Prince Philip and Aurora had that pesky curse to deal with. Second, it was difficult to buy their everlasting and perfect love through the rushed and barely-mentioned IM conversations the reader is shown. (Think Twilight meets TFIOS now.) Finally, the twist. I had an inkling of what it would be, and I was right, but where there should have been resolution (if even a slight amount), I felt like the narrative abandoned it in favor of the love story, which again, felt a little too shallow. I’m sure it’ll be a cute movie, though.
Rating: Two stars
For the Sensitive Reader: There is a sex scene that is a little much.
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